Local veterans-advocacy group gets boost from Carstar franchises

WILMINGTON -- Paul Cardello recalls passing on a local student's letter to a 20-year-old soldier recovering at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after having both legs amputated.

"We pull out the letter and give it to him," Cardello said. "He starts crying and says, 'This is the reason I do it.' Now, we're all Vietnam guys, our board of directors, I'm talking hard-core Vietnam guys. We're special ops. We all had to go out in the hallway. There wasn't a dry eye, all five of us."

A Vietnam veteran, Cardello is founder and chairman of the nonprofit iPods for Wounded Veterans, a three-year-old group that distributes electronic equipment to injured patients at military hospitals. The group also runs a "Dear Soldier" letter-writing campaign, collecting messages from local schools and delivering them along with the devices.

It's a one-of-a-kind organization, Cardello said, and one that makes Massachusetts veterans its top priority, visiting local soldiers first on every trip and bringing them mp3 players, e-readers and tablets to alleviate the stress of long hospital stays and to thank them for their service.

"No other group is doing what we're doing," said Cardello. "It's totally Massachusetts that's doing this. We're setting the example for other states."

Thanks to a partnership with Carstar body shops, though, iPods for Wounded Veterans has gone national. At its more than 270 franchises throughout the U.

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S., the company has been collecting donations of iPods and other devices, as well as iTunes store gift cards and financial contributions.

Donations will be distributed to five military medical centers throughout the country.

"IPods has been a passion for me since I joined on," said Marshall, who became involved with the group a year ago. "I've always been one to give back to all the veterans in different capacities. This struck a note with me."

In addition to the corporate efforts, the five Massachusetts Carstar locations -- Marshall's franchise, plus shops in Lowell, Fitchburg, Lancaster and Marlboro -- plan to give the nonprofit $10 for each car they repair this month.

"Knowing our books and knowing what we do, we expect, collectively, north of $4,000, closer to $5,000," Marshall said. "It's pretty good."

Marshall is also working with Billerica businesses to collect donations, with 33 signed on so far to contribute some of their November proceeds.

These and other contributions will supply the devices iPods for Wounded Veterans members will bring with them this week, when they travel to Walter Reed and the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in Virginia, visiting with 250 soldiers in amputee and traumatic brain-injury wards. As of last Tuesday, Cardello said the group had a total of 180 iPods and other tech toys ready to go, and hoped to gather enough equipment that each soldier would get an item.

As they gear up for their eighth trip to the nation's capital in three years, the group still receives strong support from the across the Merrimack Valley, Cardello said.

Cardello and other members go on speaking tours and will soon make presentations at Textron Systems in Wilmington, Raytheon Co. in Billerica and Winchester Hospital.

"It's Wilmington, Billerica, Lowell, Dracut, Tewksbury and all kinds of people," said Cardello. "They'll donate money in memory of fallen family members from World War II and Korea. We have schoolchildren who will donate $50 to buy an iPod Shuffle."

Local Teamsters unions and VFW posts have also raised money on behalf of iPods for Wounded Veterans. Billerica's Solomon VFW Post, under Commander John Parker, raised nearly $14,000.

It's not just businesses and big groups pitching in. After hearing about the organization's efforts, two physical therapists at Winchester Hospital's Family Medical Center in Wilmington made red, white and blue bracelets for the group to take with them to the hospitals.

The therapists, Karen Clark and Kathleen McKenna, assembled 80 of the bracelets for the mothers, wives and girlfriends of veterans.

"They're all handcrafted, in all different sizes. It's like going to a jewelry store," said Cardello. "We've never had anybody do anything like this."

Though the group's reach is broad, its mission is simple, Cardello said.

"We're 11 years into war, and these soldiers are doing five and seven tours," he said. "They want to know that the American public doesn't forget about them. We're just trying to make their life a little better."

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